1 Samuel 18
1 Mgbe Devid gwasịrị Sọl okwu, ịhụnanya dị ukwuu malitere nʼetiti Jonatan na Devid. Jonatan hụrụ Devid nʼanya dịka o si hụ onwe ya.
After David finished talking with Saul, [he met Saul’s son, Jonathan.] Jonathan [immediately] liked David; in fact, he began to love/like him as much as he loved/liked himself.
2 Sọl mere ka Devid nọgide nʼụlọeze. O kwekwaghị ka ọ laghachi nʼụlọ nna ya.
From that day, Saul kept David with him, and did not let him return home.
3 Jonatan na Devid gbara ndụ nʼihi na Jonatan hụrụ Devid nʼanya dịka o si hụ onwe ya.
Because Jonathan loved David so much, he made a solemn agreement with David. [They promised each other that they would always be loyal friends].
4 Jonatan yipụtara uwe o yi nʼahụ nye ya Devid, nyekwa ya uwe ime ahụ ya, na ọ bụladị mma agha ya, ma ụta ya na eriri ukwu ya.
Jonathan took off his own outer robe and gave it to David. He also gave David his soldier’s tunic, his sword, his bow [and arrows], and his belt.
5 Devid jeziri ozi niile Sọl ziri ya, o mere ihe niile nke ọma nke a mere na Sọl nyere ya ọkwa dị elu nʼetiti ndị agha ya. Ọnọdụ a dị mma nʼanya ndị Izrel nakwa nʼanya ndị agha Sọl.
[David went wherever Saul sent him. And] whatever Saul told him to do, David did it very successfully. As a result, Saul appointed David to be a commander in the army. All the officers and other men in the army (approved of/were very pleased with) that.
6 Mgbe ndị agha ahụ na-alọghachite, mgbe Devid gbusịrị onye Filistia ahụ, ndị inyom sitere nʼobodo niile nke Izrel pụta izute eze Sọl. Ha na-abụ abụ na-ete egwu ọṅụ, nke ha ji ụbọ akwara na ihe egwu ndị ọzọ na-eti.
But, when the men in the army were returning home after David had killed Goliath, the women came out from many [HYP] towns in Israel to meet/greet King Saul. They were singing and dancing very joyfully, playing tambourines and lyres.
7 Dịka ha na-ete egwu, ha bụrụ abụ sị, “Sọl egbuola ọtụtụ puku ndị agha ma Devid egbuola iri puku kwụrụ puku ndị agha.”
As they danced, they sang this song to each other: “Saul has killed 1,000 [enemy soldiers], But David has killed 10,000 [of them].”
8 Nke a were Sọl iwe nke ukwuu. O kwuru nʼime onwe ya sị, “Gịnị bụ nke a? Ha enyela Devid ugwu dịka onye gburu iri puku kwụrụ puku ndị agha, ma mụ onwe m ka ha nyere naanị ugwu dịka onye gburu ọtụtụ puku ndị agha. Gịnị ọzọ fọdụrụ ya ugbu a, ma ọ bụghị naanị inweta alaeze?”
[When] Saul [heard them singing that, he] did not like it. He became very angry. He said [to himself], “They are saying that David [killed] 10,000 men, but that I [have killed] only 1,000. Soon they will want to make him their king!” [RHQ]
9 Site nʼụbọchị ahụ gawa, Sọl malitere ile Devid anya ọjọọ.
From that time, Saul watched David very closely because he was suspicious [that David would try to become king].
10 Nʼechi ya, mmụọ ọjọọ Chineke zitere bịara dakwasị Sọl, ọ malitekwara ibu amụma nʼụlọ ya. Ma Devid kpọrọ ụbọ akwara dịka ọ na-eme mgbe ọbụla. Ma nʼoge a, o nwere ùbe dị Sọl nʼaka.
The next day, an evil spirit sent by God suddenly took control of Saul. He began to act like a madman, inside his house. David was playing the lyre for him, as he did every day. Saul was holding a spear in his hand,
11 Ọ tụrụ ùbe ahụ, kwuo nʼobi ya sị, “Aga m atụgide Devid nʼaja ụlọ ahụ.” Ma Devid wezugara onwe ya, ugboro abụọ ndị a.
and he hurled it [at David], saying to himself, “I will fasten David to the wall with the spear!” He did that two times, but David jumped aside [both times].
12 Sọl na-atụ Devid egwu, nʼihi na Onyenwe anyị ahapụla Sọl, ma nọnyere Devid.
Because [it became evident that] Yahweh had abandoned Saul but [that] he was helping David, Saul was afraid of David.
13 Emesịa, Sọl mere ihe ga-eme ka ọ ghara ịhụkwa Devid anya ọzọ. O mere Devid ka ọ bụrụ onye na-elekọta puku ndị agha, ndị ọ na-edu na-aga ibu agha.
So he appointed David as a commander of 1,000 soldiers and sent David away from him, [hoping that David would be killed in a battle]. But when David led his soldiers [in their battles],
14 Ma ihe niile ọ na-eme na-agara ya nke ọma, nʼihi na Onyenwe anyị na-anọnyere ya.
he always had great success, because Yahweh was helping him.
15 Mgbe Sọl hụrụ na ọ bụ onye nwere uche nke ọma, ọ tụrụ ya ụjọ.
When Saul heard that David [and his soldiers were] very successful, he became more afraid of David.
16 Ma Izrel na Juda niile hụrụ Devid nʼanya, nʼihi na ọ na-edu ha nʼagha.
But all the people of Israel and of Judah loved David, because he led the soldiers very successfully [in the battles].
17 Sọl gwara Devid okwu sị ya, “Lee ada m nwanyị Merab. Aga m akpọnye gị ya, ka ị lụọ ya. Naanị jeere m ozi, lụọkwa agha Onyenwe anyị.” Nʼihi na Sọl kwuru nʼime obi ya sị, “Agaghị m ewelite aka m megide ya. Ka ndị Filistia mee nke ahụ.”
One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my oldest daughter, Merab, to be your wife. I will do that if you serve me bravely by fighting battles for Yahweh [against the Philistines]”. He said that because he thought, “I will not try to get rid of David by myself. I will allow the Philistines to do that.”
18 Ma Devid sịrị Sọl, “Onyekwanụ ka m bụ, gịnịkwa bụ ezinaụlọ m maọbụ agbụrụ m nʼIzrel, nke m ga-eji bụrụ ọgọ nwoke eze?”
But David said to Saul, “I am not [RHQ] a very important person, and my family is not very important, and my clan is not a very important Israeli clan. So I do not deserve to become your son-in-law.” [RHQ]
19 O ruo, na mgbe a ga-eduru Merab, ada Sọl dunye Devid, akpọrọ ya nye Adriel, onye Mehola ka ọ lụọ.
So, when it was time for Merab to be given to David to become his wife, instead, Saul gave her to a man named Adriel, from Meholah [town].
20 Nʼoge a, a chọpụtara na Mikal, ada Sọl hụrụ Devid nʼanya, mgbe e mere ka Sọl mata nke a, obi tọrọ ya ụtọ.
But Saul’s other daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When they told Saul about that, he was pleased.
21 O kwuru nʼobi ya sị, “Aga m akpọnye ya nwa m nwanyị, ka ọ bụrụ ihe ịma nʼọnya nye ya, ka aka ndị Filistia si otu a megide ya.” Ya mere, Sọl gwara Devid sị ya, “Ugbu a i nwekwara ohere ọzọ ịghọ ọgọ m nwoke.”
He thought, “I will let Michal marry him, in order that she may trap him, and the Philistines will be able to kill him.” So he said to David, [“You can marry Michal],” and by saying that, he indicated for the second time that David would become his son-in-law.
22 Sọl nyere ndị ohu ya iwu sị, “Gwanụ Devid okwu na nzuzo sị ya, ‘Lee, ihe banyere gị masịrị eze, ndị niile na-ejere ya ozi hụkwara gị nʼanya. Ugbu a, kwerenụ ịbụ ọgọ ya.’”
Saul told his servants, “Talk to David privately, and say to him, ‘Listen, the king is pleased with you, and all of us his servants love you. So now [we think that] you should [marry Michal and] become the king’s son-in-law.’”
23 Ha gwara Devid okwu ndị a niile. Ma Devid zara sị, “Ọ bụ ihe nta ịbụ ọgọ eze? Mụ onwe m bụ onye ogbenye, onye a na-amaghị ama.”
So they told that to David. But David said, “It would be a great honor [RHQ] to become the king’s son-in-law. But [I do not think that I should do that, because] I am only a poor and insignificant man.”
24 Mgbe ndị ohu Sọl gwara Sọl ihe Devid kwuru,
When the servants told Saul what David had said,
25 ọ gwara ha sị, “Gwanụ Devid, ‘Eze achọghị ihe ọzọ dịka ụgwọ isi akụ ọbụla karịa naanị narị apị ndị Filistia. Ka ọ bụrụ ọbọ ọ ga-abọrọ m nʼisi ndị iro m.’” Ma ihe Sọl bu nʼobi bụ na a ga-egbu Devid nʼọgụ ahụ.
Saul replied, “Go and say to David, ‘[In order for] the king [to allow you to marry Michal, he] wants [you to kill] 100 Philistines [and cut off] their foreskins [and bring the foreskins to him to prove that you have killed them]. In that way he will get revenge on his enemies.’” But what Saul wanted was that the Philistines would kill David [while David was trying to kill them].
26 Mgbe ndị ohu eze gwara Devid ihe eze kwuru, ọ tọrọ ya ụtọ, nʼihi ya, o kwenyere ịbụ ọgọ eze. Tupu oge ahụ a kara aka eruo,
When the servants told that to David, he was very pleased that he could become the king’s son-in-law [by doing that. The king had said how many days he would allow for David to do that]. But before that time ended,
27 Devid na ndị agha ya pụrụ gbuo narị ndị Filistia abụọ, werekwa apị ha gosi eze. Sọl kpọnyere Devid Mikal, nwa ya nwanyị, ka ọ bụrụ nwunye ya.
David and his men went and killed, [not 100, but] 200 Philistines! He brought their foreskins to Saul, and counted them [while Saul was watching], in order to prove that he had [done what the king required so that he could become Saul’s son-in-law. So then Saul was obligated] to allow David to marry his daughter Michal.
28 Mgbe Sọl hụrụ na Onyenwe anyị na-anọnyere Devid, hụkwa na Mikal nwa ya nwanyị hụrụ Devid nʼanya,
But when Saul realized that Yahweh was helping David, and that his daughter loved David,
29 ọ tụrụ Devid ụjọ karịa na mbụ. Sọl kpọkwara Devid asị, gụọ ya dịka onye iro ụbọchị ndụ ya niile.
he became more afraid of David. So, as long as Saul lived, he was David’s enemy.
30 Ndịisi agha Filistia na-apụta ibu agha dịka ha na-eme mgbe ọbụla, ma Devid na-eme nke ọma karịa ndị ọchịagha Sọl ndị ọzọ niile. Nke a mere ka Devid ghọọ onye a mara aha ya nʼala ahụ niile.
The Philistine armies repeatedly came to fight the Israelis, but every time they fought, David and his soldiers were more successful than any of Saul’s other army commanders. As a result, David became very famous.
